Improvement in seeding-machines



J. F. SEAMAN.

Seed Planter.

No. 22,676. Patented Jan. 18, 1859.

(WM/4% Inventor".-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. QEA M AN, Oh ULYDE, Nl lVV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT lN SEEDlNG-MACHINES.

Specification forming part oi Letters Patent No. 22,676, dated January is, 1551'.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN F. SEAMAN, of Clyde, in the county of Wayne and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Seeding-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the line .r .r, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of seeding-machines which are designed for planting seed, chictly corn, in checkrows or in drills.

The invention consists in a novel means employed for operating manually the seed-distributing device, as hereinafter fully shown and described.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, 1 will proceed to describe it.

A represents a haror plate ofsuitable length, atritle longer than the space between the rows or hills in which the seed is to be planted. This bar has the thills or shafts B attached to it, one near each end, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

To the bar A two handles, C O, are attached. These handles extend obliquely upward and back from the bar A, and are curved at their upper ends, as shown clearly at a, Fig. 1. The handle (J is formed of two parts, I) c, the part 1/ being attached to the part c by a pivot, d.

On the harA there are placed twoseed-boxes, D I), one near each end, and E is a shaft, the ends of which have their hearings in the bottoms of the seed-boxes 1).

On each end of the shaft E there is a cylindrical head, 0. These heads are within the seed-boxes D D, and each head has a recess, f, made in it, the bottom. of which is formed by the head g of a screw. These screws extend into the heads 0 c, and by turning them the capacity of the recesses f may be increased or diminished, as desired. Within each seed-box a cut-off brush, h, is placed.

The lower end of the part b of the handle 0 is attached by a cord or chain, 2", to an eye, j,

on the shaft 1*], the cord or chain 1' passing around underneath the shal't.

To the handle 0 ol the device a spring, 1 is attached. and the lower-end of this spring is connected by a cord or chain, is, with the shaft E in a direct manner, and not by passing underneatli it, as thechain i. The spring F, when not acted upon byany extraneous force or pow er, will keep the shaft E in such a position as to keep the reccssesf upward or exposed within the boxes, so that they will be tilled with seed. (See Fig. 2.

To the under side of the bar A two furrowshares, (l (l, are attached, one near each end. These furrow-shares are of the usual form, and are attached to the lower ends ol' bars 11 ll, which are grooved at their back sides to form seed-channels. The upper ends oi. the bars ll are directly below the cylindrical heads 0 c of the shaft E.

To the back edge of the bar A two bars or rods, I l, are attached by joints Ht at. These bars or rods are directly in line with the furrow-shares G G, and they are, by means of the joints, allowed to swing, freely up and down.

To the outer end of each bar or rod 1 two dishshapcd wheels, J J, are attached, one at each side. These wheels are titted on arms n non the bars or rods, which arms or rods have an oblique position relatively with each other, and consequently the same position is given the wheels J J. This position is clearly shown in Fig. 2; and it will be seen that the narrow space is behind, or that the wheels are nearest together at their back parts. The concave sides of the wheels face each otherthat is to say, the concave sides of each pair-and each wheel is provided with a series of projections, 0, at its periphery.

The operation is as follows: The field or ground where corn is to be planted is previously turrowed in one direction, and the machine is drawn along transversely with said furrows. As the shares G G intersect the furrows the operator depresses the upper end of the part b of the handle U, and this movement of said part I) actuates the shalt .15, and causes the recesses or seed-cellsf that are filled with seed to pass below the brushes h, the seed dropping into the furrows made by the shares G G. The Spring 1* brings the shaft E back to its original position as the part I) of the handle is relievcd ol' the pressure of the hand of the operator. 'Ihe dish-shaptal wheels J .l cover the seed, said wheels rotating and, in consequence of their oblique position, gathering the earth at each side of the l'urrows and throwing it into the furrows, the earth being lil'tcd to some extent as it is thrown into the furrows. This is an important feature of the invention, for the wheels cannot become clogged and rendered inoperative, like the usual oblique stationary covering shares. This is a contingency which frequently occurs with the stationary shares, as elods, stones, and other substances are lia ble to become wedged in the narrow space be tween the back ends of the shares. By my invention this cannot occur, as the obstruction would be raised in consequence of the dish shape of the wheels and thrown into the fur row. The projections 0 insure the rotation of the wheels, and the wheels are allowed to rise and fall to conform to the undulating surface of the ground, in consequence of thejoints m, which connect the bars I to the bar A. By operating the shaft 19 by means of the part b of the handle 0 the operator or attendant is allowed to perform the desired work with facility, as the depressing ot" the outer end of I) means of the part b of the handle U, attached by a pivot, d, to the other part, c, of said han die, and connected at its lower end to the shalt E by a cord or chain, i, the above parts being used in connection with the spring F, attael'ied directly to the other handle, O,ot'theimplement and to the shaft E by a cord or chain It, the whole being arranged substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN F. SEAMAN.

Witnesses:

WM. TiisorIL, W. lIAUJ F. 

